Union To Begin Voting This Week On UC Contract

A union representing more than 12,000 researchers, technical employees and health care professionals for the University of California is expected to vote this week on a contract that would provide wage increases and retain retirement benefits.

The deal prevents a two-tiered pension system that pushes back retirement with similar benefits for workers by five years. Workers would kick in an additional 1 percent to the pension plan in July to the standard contribution of 8 percent.

The UC system also has reached agreements with unions representing nurses, lecturers, librarians and police officers in the past two months.